Tell Me Your Story
by shereadherstars
Summary: "You don't know him, yet you're here, isn't that an explanation enough? Somehow you're anxious to know the man." Caroline has never met her father but by some twist of fate she was brought to him by the most unfavorable of circumstances. In a desolate aisle she meets Nik, a struggling brother who would do anything to keep his brother alive. Klaroline ONE-SHOT. All human.


**A/N: Hello there beautiful people! Here's another Klaroline one-shot. **

**Warning: Character death.**

**I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS OR TVD. **

* * *

"He's not getting better, Nik" Rebekah attempted to break her brother out of his hazy stupor. "His doctors say the cancer cells are metastatic, they tend to spread to other parts of his body"

Her brother just stared ahead, looking but not really seeing.

"And, his prolonged hospital stay would most likely cause complications like pneumonia and…"

"Enough Bekah," Klaus hissed through his teeth, "He's going to make it"

"But Nik he's…"

"I said enough!" by then he was already fuming with rage at his sister for assuming that they just accept their little brother's fate. "The lot of you may have lost your hope but I'm not, I won't." He went back to staring at his brother on the other side of the glass where the young boy was currently confined to a bed and attached to several monitors and IV lines. "So you can take your entire medical knowledge back to your dorm and leave me alone."

"I'm not implying anything Nik, I'm just trying to…"

"To what?" He interrupted her again, "He's our brother Bekah. Are you that desperate to send him to, to…" He couldn't even get himself to say the word.

"How dare you?" her sister was now seemingly frustrated and sad at the same time, "I'm only trying to deal with this the best way I can. I don't want him to die. I don't want to lose my baby brother. But Nik, you also have to know, he's getting worse."

"I'm not going to lose Henrik. None of us are." He walked away from his younger sister before they can escalate into a bigger fight, which is the last thing their family needs right now.

* * *

He walked briskly away from his sister, his fingers itched for some smoke but he has restrained himself because it was against hospital policy and he didn't want to go far away, knowing that his little brother is fighting for his life just down the hall.

He ran his palm across his face before sitting himself on one of the built in plastic chairs on the aisle. His mind raced a million thoughts per second, rummaging through his head all the possible ways of saving Henrik. He sat there with his head on his hands, too close to breaking down.

"That bad?"

A feminine voice startled him from his emotional train wreck. He turned his head slightly sideways and found a young blonde with blue-green eyes peering curiously at him, sitting two chairs away.

_She's beautiful._

But he couldn't ponder that much on these thoughts. Not when there are more important things to occupy his mind.

She was still staring at him as if waiting for an answer, sighing deeply, he relented but not to the extent that he'll spill too much.

"Too young." He simply answered.

She finally looked away from him and they both went back to their own worlds and to their own thoughts.

"My father's old." She spoke again after a few minutes, "Well, not senile old but you know, old. I'm wondering how his body can metabolize all these chemicals being delivered to his system, round the clock. I mean, I thought he might combust anytime, what with all the contraptions attached to his limbs."

Klaus gapes at her, his mouth slightly open. The way she was talking about the old man was the way someone talks about a person they don't really have an emotional connection to. It was cold, uncaring, he wondered how she does that.

It was a stark contrast to how he feels towards his brother right now; he doesn't want his brother's body to give up properly processing his medications, he doesn't want him to spontaneously combust.

He silently berated himself for allowing someone to plant negative thoughts in his brain. He shook his head trying to get rid of it.

"I'm sorry, you're probably wondering what this cold hearted bitch is blabbering about. You know what, forget I ever said anything. I'll go get a drink from the vending machine, or something." She stood up abruptly, slightly embarrassed and walked down the hall without turning back.

* * *

Klaus was back at his usual spot by the window to his brother's room. Emotions were simmering at the edge of his skin begging to break through. Although he was still fairly indignant about Rebekah's behavior the other day he understood why she acted or felt like that.

His sister was currently taking courses to become a professional nurse, he was starting to feel bad about taking out his anger on her by implying she's just there to flaunt her medical knowledge on him. But no, he recognizes that she's just as frightened as the rest of them are but she's also trying to be rational and strong.

But the stubborn side of his self was too proud to admit that his sister is right, but he wouldn't just accept it. His brother has dreams, things he'd like to see, to feel, to experience.

He was raging inside; life is too cruel to take someone who's barely even learned how to live. How is that fair? He clenched his fists and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Through the corner of his eyes, he noticed his sister walking slowly towards him, probably back from her shift.

"Nik." His sister called softly to him with pleading eyes.

With the anger still stirring within him, he just sent her a glare and strutted away again, just like he did the other day.

Before he realized it, he was back to the plastic chairs, bare witnesses to his frustrations, disappointments, and anxiety. He must have looked like a mad man to on lookers but he didn't care, he feels like punching someone on the face and blame them for everything.

"Pepsi?" _She's here again._

He waved his hand at her dismissively trying to rein in his anger and avoid lashing out on her.

She shrugged her shoulder and sipped from the can. "More for me then."

He's aware that she's just trying to be nice and didn't deserve to be at the receiving end of his tantrum. He looked at her and just like the first time they met, she seems unfazed by the fact that her father is lying somewhere in this hospital and she's here sipping cola, humming an almost happy tune to herself and talking to strangers with anger management issues.

"How is he? Your father I mean." He tried sounding polite.

"You remember that?" She looked a little bit pleased, "He's scheduled for a scan today, his doctor's going to find out if his expensive therapy's working" she waved her soda can in front of her while speaking.

Klaus simply nodded in response, not very sure how to approach the topic. He himself wasn't ready to submit to the torture of awaiting the results if his brother be subjected to the same procedure.

_His fucking meds better fucking work._

"He's claustrophobic." She scoffed, not a bit amused about it, "I just learned that from doc today. The thought of staying in an enclosed space terrifies him." Her eyes tersely flicked to him before lowering it to the floor, a wave of emotion passed through her lovely face but was immediately gone. "One of the lists of things I don't know about him." She added in a whisper.

"Phobias are irrational fears. And some of our fears are unknown to us unless we're confronted with them." He gave her a voice that sounded like he's willing her to show that tiny ounce of emotion he briefly had a glimpse of. Her apathy was weighing him down.

_You have to feel, dammit! Why am I the only one who's entitled to feel like this right now? If this is what hurting feels like, the entire universe shouldn't be privileged to pass up on the suffering! _

"I didn't know how to comfort him. The nurse gave him meds to calm him down but he's still pretty antsy." she continued in the same cold tone "The man's a stranger to me, how do you even comfort a stranger?" she shrieked exasperatedly throwing her hands in the air. "I don't even know why I'm here right now."

"You have hope" he murmured.

She stared at him uncertainly, begging with her eyes for him to elaborate.

Pushing down his anguish from earlier events he answered her, "You don't know him, yet you're here, isn't that an explanation enough? Somehow you're anxious to know the man. You have questions which I take it remain unanswered, and shall remain so if you don't get to say them. You're curious about how it feels like to have someone you never had your entire life. And somewhere between those queries, there's a part of you that's just screaming for him to get to know you too."

He got her where he wanted her to be, in the same abyss where he got himself trapped and it seemed cruel and he's expecting her to yell at him for being so captious but he'll stand his ground.

"You're making assumptions." She shook her head and her soda can was now starting to be crushed between her palms, the remaining liquid inside spilling out.

"I'm not. I should know" he mumbled.

"What?"She inquired; her ears hadn't really caught his retort.

"Oh no, nothing. My apologies for seeming too straightforward." but he wasn't sorry at all for dragging her down to his misery, but before he could revel in victory, her face abruptly changed from perplexed aggravation to dismissal with a wave of her Pepsi coated hand.

"Don't be. Whatever you said doesn't change anything."

"It can." He countered just to rile her up.

"I need to wash my hands." Without letting him throw another reply she stood up from her seat and stomped away.

* * *

"Tuna sandwiches with lots of onions. Poker nights on Thursdays with his buddy, Dan. He has a penchant for late night shows. He doesn't enjoy the grilled cheese served at his neighborhood diner."

"Who doesn't?" He was sitting on one of the plastic chairs by the aisle again. In a way that he doesn't seem to get, it had become a comfort for him going there in between visiting hours.

"My dad, genius." She snorted at him with a little laugh. "Weren't you the one who _subtly_ suggested I get to know him?"

"Onions and late night shows, huh" he smiled almost genuinely for the first time in weeks. "You're welcome."

"I did not…" she started but he just looked at her with an amused incredulity. "Fine, thank you. Satisfied?"

He turned somber in a second. "Satisfaction is highly improbable right now, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry" they dived into silence, the easy banter evaporating into thin air.

"Who are you here for?" She asked him gently.

He looked at her skeptically.

"I'm not trying to pry. It's just that you might be tired by now, hearing my incessant ramblings. But you don't have to answer that if it makes you uncomfortable."

The truth is, despite his subdued outrage which turns to something perceivable at times especially when he gets to an argument with his sister, he was unconsciously pleading for someone to listen to him. Someone who won't dampen his hopes, someone who doesn't have to add commentaries every damn second, someone who won't feign interest and empathy.

"My little brother, Henrik. Lymphoma. Unfavorable prognosis." It was a little too late before he realized that he acknowledged the fact that his brother is turning worse. Tears brimmed on his lids and he looked away from her blinking rapidly to rein in the desolation.

"He loves airplanes. He has his own mini museum at home, filled with rare models. Some of them we assembled together, a few ones were gifts from our other siblings." He grinned a bit in nostalgia, "Our mother was worried he'd be a spoiled little brat, what with all our occasional presents."

"Occasional?" she returned his little slip up smile with a tease.

"Alright, weekly, weekly favors." He admitted and his tiny grin grew, "But he's so adorable and probably has a mind more mature and imaginative than the rest of the grown-ups he calls his family. It's impossible to deny him."

"I don't have siblings; it must be really nice to be raised in a home filled with people."

"You might want to take that back when you meet them. Our home is a pandemonium. You'll literally run out of places to hide when everyone starts to become so annoying."

Their conversation went smoothly and easily. They were temporarily lost in their own sanctuary where no impending doom and no emotional turmoil will hastily seize the genuineness of the moment.

They exchanged memories and experiences like two old friends who haven't seen each other for quite some time.

His resentment gradually dissipated for a while and was replaced with the kind of calm the girl was able to surprisingly emanate.

Her flat, cold tone also shifted to a delightful one and her voice seemed silvery and so much pleasant to him.

Their eyes were lit up and their faces flooded with unexpected tenderness, none of them were expecting. But no matter how contented they felt at that time, they knew they had to go back to the real world soon.

"Well, this has been great, but I really have to go. I have to see my dad's doctor in an hour." She beamed once more to him before standing up and he followed suit, a bit disappointed to burst their little bubble. "I'm going to grab something to eat before that, would you like to join me?"

"I'm sorry, love. My mother is on her way here, we'll go visit Henrik together." His heart did a little jerk when he saw her face slightly fall.

"Oh, it's fine. Maybe next time." She forced a smile.

"Of course. And I do hope the doctor brings you good news."

They gazed at each other deeply one more time before she turned. He was about to go the opposite way when he heard her voice again.

_That voice is going to haunt me one day._

"I'm Caroline." She extended her hand to him with a soft chuckle from her lips.

"Niklaus" he took her hand in his and shook it gently. He was only holding her hand but it felt like every inch of his skin is covered with goose bumps and microscopic pins seemed to prickle him everywhere. "But you can call me Nik."

"Nik" she tested his name on her tongue with her hand still encased in his. "I hope your brother grows his little museum into something much larger and who knows he might just have his very own jet someday. Tell him, I'd be one of his first passengers on board."

Klaus was rendered speechless by her optimism. Where was the girl before who spoke about her father so coldly and without a care? She was unpredictable in a way that his former attempts to anger her just like how he was so outraged had totally smacked him with a fist of sunshine bright smile and chased his gloom away.

"He'd be glad to hear that. It was lovely spending time with you, Caroline"

"You're making it sound like a date."

"Oh trust me that was way better than any dates I had so far."

She giggled adoringly at him but slowly retrieved her hand which he released reluctantly.

"I really have to be on my way. I'll see you around Nik."

"See you around, Caroline."

* * *

"Hey there mate. How are you feeling?" Klaus sat by his brother's bed while observing the little boy's features, checking for any signs of distress.

"Tired." He answered helplessly, "but I'm fine. I'm going to be fine, right Nik?

"Of course you are Henrik. You're mightier than the rest of your big brothers, remember." He replied in an almost strangled voice. He had to remain strong for him; it was the least he could do to help.

"When I get out of here you're going to help me assemble the new set Finn sent me from London, okay?" he was so excited despite the exhaustion that eats him from the inside. "There's a place near our favorite restaurant, you know that one where mother brings us for family dinner?"

Klaus could only nod in response.

"I saw it was for lease, it's a bit small, but it could be wide enough for my displays. 'Lijah could help me transact with the owner, he's always good with that. I'd even let Kol help set up the shelves and put the place in order."

He regaled to his big brother his biggest wish and it made Klaus' heart clench even more painfully. "Of course, mate, I'll tell them right away so they can get the place ready for you when you get discharged from here."

"Thank you Nik."

"Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

Henrik drifted to sleep after a few moments; he began to leave Henrik's side when the door opened to reveal his mother and the doctor while having a conversation in a serious tone.

"Mother, I already tucked him to sleep. Is there something wrong?" His eyes flicked between her and the doctor.

She stepped closer to him, eyes brimming with unshed tears, her hands clasped together in front of her chest, but what stood out the most to him was the almost unnoticeable upturn of her lips. When she was close enough, she reached out to trap his face between her hands just like she always do since he was a little boy, and the tears began to run along her cheeks.

"The cancer cells have ceased to spread." She gave him an exultant shrug "his therapy is working effectively. If he goes on with his sessions without experiencing complications, we can get him out of here in no time." She turned her head towards the doctor for affirmation.

"He has two more sessions left. I've been monitoring his improvement; his response to therapy had been mostly satisfactory." The doctor explained with a few nods.

"Mostly satisfactory?" Klaus asked him as he now held her mother's hands in his own.

"He's experiencing mild side effects from the therapy it's not uncommon, like weakness, fatigue, dizziness, changes in his appetite. I've already collaborated with the health care team to update and reevaluate his care plan to suit his needs and to make him as comfortable as possible."

The doctor went on discussing with them possible interventions and the vital role of the family in the boy's path to recovery.

* * *

There was a bounce to his feet when he headed to a certain hallway, his mother went home right after the doctor left and since visiting hours were over, the next sensible thing to do for him was to relay the good news to Caroline, Caroline who has been a wave of fresh air for him in this desolate place, Caroline who...

...was sitting on her usual spot by the aisle, a bag of untouched food sat next to her, her elbows propped on her knees and her head buried in her hands. All he can see was a curtain of disheveled blonde curls, probably by her hands running through them over and over again.

"That bad?" He threw her words back at her when he was the one who was in the same exact state as she is right now. Taking the bag of food from the chair, he sat next to her and placed it on his lap.

His hand hung in the air, hesitant how to comfort her or if she would even welcome the tactile approach, he pulled it back and placed it on his lap.

Caroline slowly dropped her hands and turned towards him, her blood shot eyes peered at him through her mane that covered half of her face.

"It's not working." She said in a strangled voice "the doctor said the cancer cells are resistant to medications." She wiped her tears away, spreading smeared mascara at the side of her cheeks.

"There's really nothing more about his therapy the doctor and I can talk about. He could've just outright told it to my face to bring my father to an institution that specializes in end-of-life care."

"Caroline..."

"It's okay. Well it's not." She shook her head "but you don't have to say anything. You've done enough." She said lividly.

Klaus' mouth hung open and about to retort. He didn't expect the last part from her outburst.

Realizing what she just said, Caroline brought her fingers to her lips with a little gasp "I didn't mean it like that, Nik"

Klaus' stare pressed her for an explanation. He was so excited to share his brother's improvement with her and the last thing he expected was to be blamed for anything.

"It's just that you were the one who convinced, and I'm using the word lightly, convinced me to talk to him. Ask him questions. And maybe open up myself to him too." She tried to salvage her slip up in the calmest tone she could muster.

"I went here to see my father whom I haven't met for two decades. I went here because my mother believes that despite him being nothing more than a stranger to me, I could've at least a proper closure, and for me to let him go with no regrets. It was an easy and simple plan. Get in, get out." Her voice was low but heavy and so did his breathing become, he wasn't particularly unfamiliar with the feeling of not having an emotional tie to one of his parents, especially when it was found out that he's an illegitimate child. No wonder his father couldn't even look him in the eye when he was still alive.

"And then you came, a stranger to me just like he was, you pushed me into a direction I was so scared to take. I associated him to a name and a face, that's it. You made me take a chance and now..." her voice quivered with tears.

"...now, he's a person I got the chance to know just a little too late. And the picture that will be stuck in my head will be how I spent weeks in a hospital alternating between visiting hours, the crappy cafeteria, and these dull plastic chairs." She emphasized the last few words with her fist punching the minimal space between them.

"Hey, hey" his hands shot out to envelope her fist, preventing her from hurting it further. "Hey, I'm sorry" he stated sincerely with his eyes boring into hers. "I'm sorry it turned out this way. I know that there is nothing right now that I could say that will make this better but, you have to know it's okay to be scared, but you're going to get through this because you're stronger than you think you are."

"I'm not" Caroline sobbed shaking her head.

"Yes you are, squeezing her hand gently "Taking that leap of faith from a stranger nonetheless, is one of the bravest things I've seen from someone so far. And you know what I think? I think it wasn't me who pushed you there, your get in get out plan was a wall you built to protect yourself, and it was of your own doing that you decided to let those walls crumble. And I'm not saying this for my own good, but for you to see the kind of bravery I'm seeing right now."

"You think so highly of me. You barely even know me. Given a chance to meet in entirely different circumstances, you wouldn't even bother sitting with me right now."

Although she was rarely good with accepting compliments, she took what he said to her to heart, the impending gloom hanging above, evading her gradually for a moment.

He just shrugged, his face telling her she could deny it but he'd still believe in her strength anyways. He looked down at the bag on his lap and peeled the seal off to open it. "At the meantime, why don't you provide yourself with greasy, unhealthy nourishment, what do you say, love?" He offered the bag to her.

She straigtened her back, wiped the remnants of her wet eyes with her fingers and took the bag gingerly from him."Oh, I almost forgot, I got your brother something."

"You got Henrik something?" He looked at her equally confused and amused.

"Yeah, nothing too fancy though." A toy airplane was produced from the bag. "I know it's small, and it's free, comes with the meal." She handed him the miniature plane that was no bigger than his palm. "I went to one of these fast-food chains near the area to grab a quick meal, I saw they're giving away those things if you buy their special combo, I couldn't resist myself. I know it's nothing, and it's random, he probably has this huge collector's item pieces and-"

"Caroline, sweetheart, you're rambling."

"I know, I'm sorry I should probabaly..."

He stopped her again midsentence with a wave of his hand, "He'll love it. Now, eat."

They smiled at each other for the first time since the gloomy start of their conversation earlier.

"Alright, alright." She started unwrapping her cheese burger."Aren't we bossy today." She teased him lightly and Klaus was glad they were back to their little bubble.

"Actually I wanted to tell you something." He played with the plane in his hands.

"Hmm?" She hummed through her stuffed mouth.

His smile was small but his eyes were so full of glee when he told her all about Henrik and their meeting with the doctor.

"That's amazing, Nik!" She commented in the most cheerful tone, "there's hope after all, and he can have that museum he always wanted to have." She stared distantly as if drafting in her head how the place would look like."Someday."

"Someday." He added almost dreamily, truly grateful that he was sharing this moment with her.

They went on talking about anything and everything, even the most mundane parts of themselves. Time was swift but their gazes were slow, as if they were reading each others' eyes, committing to memory every frown line, every tug of the lips to begin a smile, every gesture and wave of the hand, every angle the dim lights of the hallway would touch their face. There was no one else.

* * *

_One month later._

"It's called Hospicio de Luz, the nurse assigned to him said it's a great place, she volunteered there once."

"Is it going to be like a home for the aged?" His brows furrowed in confusion.

"Something like that," Caroline began to explain. "It means Hospice of Light. They admit people who were abandoned by their families and are too old to look after themselves; they also handle special cases, like for my dad, those who are with terminal illnesses."

He examined the leaflet in his hand, it had pictures of the institution where her father is to be transferred. "This place looks nice. I hope he"ll like it."

"I hope so too. It looks like they've created this kind of environment where their patients would feel empowered instead of feeling weak or useless. They have activities, livelihood training even, they have gardens, social halls. I'd rather have him surrounded by a community that understands him rather than make him feel all alone in his house."

Tears started to gather on her lower lids but she sniffed and pushed it all away. She feels like she needs to be at her strongest during this time.

"Well, I'm glad your brother gets to be discharged soon." She gave him a bright smile which amazed him because she was on the brink of breaking down not two seconds ago.

"Tomorrow actually, he's so excited to get home. We all are, Rebekah actually took the day off to prepare a welcome home party."

"He's a very lucky kid. You all are. You'll always have each other." Her tone went from ecstatic to somber.

"Caroline," he took her hand in his "you're not alone in this you know. Tell you what, I'll get Henrik settled at home, make sure he's comfortable and safe, and when it's done I'll go visit your father with you."

"I'd love that." Her lips broke into a smile that brought the both of them hope.

* * *

When two people meet in the most decrepit of circumstances, two things can happen. Either they fall apart even before they can start anything or, they can build the strongest of foundations ever honed.

They didn't only love with a love lovers can give, it was more than that, it was always so much more than that. They loved with a love that sprouted from their darkest days, they loved with a love in all its forms and kind, in all its strengths and weaknesses, in perfection and flaws, they loved like the best of friends, like a family, like a lifetime companion, like each others' beginning and end, like their afterlife was written and plotted before them and there they'll still be together.

And so they did.

* * *

_Six years later._

"Come on, Lizzy. Mother's going to be really mad at me if she caught you eating candies." Henrik lightly scolded his little niece, he couldn't really get angry with her, and he was the one who gave her all the sweets after all.

The little girl who resembled her mother so much just giggled in response, her golden curls tumbled on her shoulders as she shook her head and trapped the candies in her little fists, refusing to give them back.

"Alright, but put them away, we're heading out really soon." He nodded to her in defeat. No one could really deny her when she was being too adorable.

"Yey!" Her fists went into the air and her blue eyes which were very alike from her parents shone with excitement as she bounced to her room to keep safe the delights.

"Henrik, dear?" His mother called out for him.

"In here."

"There you are. Are you ready? I thought I heard Lizzy here with you." His mother inquired.

"Umm, yes. She just went to her room." He replied although he couldn't maintain eye contact with her.

"Did you give her candies again?"

Henrik just looked at her mother guiltily.

She sighed and gave her son an understanding smile. "Why don't you go downstairs and join your siblings, they're getting the cars ready. I'll go get Lizzy."

"Okay."

Once he was gone, Esther walked towards the little girl's room. Silently she opened the door and peeked through. She watched as her granddaughter carefully placed her candies in different containers depending on their color and flavor. She smiled sadly as this reminded her of her daughter in law which she has grown to love over the few years she had shared with the family.  
Lizzy was a perfect mixture of her son Niklaus and the lovely Caroline. As a mother she had seen how beautiful their love was although it hadn't been perfect.

Today marked the day, that they lost them both, that their daughter lost them both.

A year ago, they decided to take their dream trip to Paris which turned out to be something his son promised to her since Henrik's hospital days. They were able to spend their trip blissfully and without distractions as opposed to living in the same city as their family.

They called back home every night to wish little Lizzy goodnight, Caroline would hum her a lullaby until she falls asleep, Klaus would berate his siblings not to spoil his princess too much, and Esther would remind them that they're only gone for a few days and they shouldn't worry very much.

Oh how wrong she was.

If only she knew that on their way home the couple would be on a plane that was fated to crash, she would have let Caroline sing to Lizzy until the break of dawn even if it was only over the phone, she would have allowed her son to shower his daughter with all the gifts he can come up with, not that he doesn't.

She hastily wiped the stray tears from her cheeks and rushed to her granddaughter.

"Lizzy, sweetheart."

Lizzy turned to her with a heartbreaking smile which turned into a cute frown when she saw her gran's face. "Are you crying granny?" She placed her little hands on her face much like how she placed it on her children's. This elicited more tears from her eyes.

"I'm crying because I'm so happy you're here with us. We're going to visit Mom and Dad today, Lizzy" she held her tiny wrists in her hands.

"I miss them. I miss Mummy and Daddy so much." She sobbed and her tears came so fast. "I wish Mummy was here to sing to me while I dance. And Daddy can take me to the zoo to watch the horses. And they can sleep beside me because I'm scared of the rain"

"Shh, shh," Her gran tried to hush her. "They're always here with you, okay? They'll be watching you as you grow, they'll watch every dance recital, they'll watch you on the day you'll have your first riding lessons. They will always be here because they love you so much."

Lizzy just cried harder and she flung herself towards her gran.

Moments later she felt a pair of arms encircling them both. Henrik came back and the sight before him was too overwhelming, he had to engulf his mother and his niece in an embrace.

It was the same for the rest of the family who were now slowly crowding inside the princess themed room, eyes glazed with tears with no words to spare to such an unfortunate event.

As they finally broke apart, the matriarch slowly and longingly looked at her family who were all fighting the tears away. Losing a parent was one thing but losing a child was unfathomably painful it can incapacitate someone to pieces. But Esther knew Lizzy deserves a family who will look after her, who will make her feel all the love her parents could've made her feel if they were still physically present.

"Well, we have to get moving if we want to be on time for Grandpa Bill's family day." She announced to everyone although they know it was for the little girl to hear and they weren't disappointed to see her light up at the thought of seeing her grandfather.

Despite the doctor's prediction of Caroline's father having an irreversible and most definitely fatal illness, it was a miracle he got to live longer, long enough to witness his daughter being lowered to the ground. And there was nothing more crippling than that to him. Lizzy had been his little reminder of a younger version of his daughter he never had the chance to see grow.

"We're going to see grandpa?" she clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"Yes we are sweet pea." Rebekah crouched down to her level and wiped Lizzy's tears with her hands. "And you can play with the other kids you met last time in the garden, what do you say?"

"Okay, but we're going to drop flowers for Mommy and Daddy first, right?" she looked up to the adults surrounding her with her patented puppy eyes.

"Of course we are, darling" Kol ruffled her hair even though he knows she hates that, so much like her mother.

"Ugh, Aunt Bekah, Uncle Kol's doing it again!"

"Oh don't worry baby, we'll do something about it later." Rebekah eyed the little girl conspiratorially.

"Children." Elijah muttered lowly. "We have to leave if we want to get to our appointments on time."

Almost everyone in the room gave a simultaneous eye roll to his unwavering sense of formality, resulting to a fit of giggles as they padded out the room one after the other.

* * *

**A/N: Sooooo, how was it? I'd love to hear from you! I know this one's a bit too sad especially after TVD and TO got on air and the hope for Klaroline is dim, BUT! I will still be shipping them and no one can stop me, everything they do to make us want to forget actually makes me ship them even more!**

**Anyways, thanks a lot for giving this one a chance, leave a review when you can!**

**Until next time!**


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